French advise implant removal

More than 30,000 women in France who have faulty breast implants have been advised to have them removed as a precaution.

While the French government says there is no evidence of a cancer link from the implants by French firm Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) it has said it will cover the cost of their removal.

In Britain, some 40,000 women are thought to have the implants, which were banned last year after they were found to contain a non-medical grade silicone filler.

However, the UK government has ruled out routine removal, saying there was no evidence of a safety concern.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: “At the moment we are in a position where we have no evidence of a link to cancer. We have no evidence of toxicity, we have no evidence of substantial difference in terms of ruptures of these implants compared to others.

“So we don’t have a safety concern that would be the basis for the routine removal of these implants.”

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) has said there was no need for women with PIP implants to have them removed but has advised women with concerns to contact their surgeon or clinic.

The French health ministry has stressed that women with PIP implants did not have a higher risk of cancer than women with implants made by other companies, but remained concerned at the risk of ruptures.

Of the 30,000 implants that have been fitted in France, more than 1,000 have ruptured.